PSYCHODRAMA AND AUTOGENIC RELAXATION

Abstract

Through the past centuries man was busy investigating what the world was like around him. All other species adapted themselves to nature. Manis the only species that modified nature according to his own needs inventing tools and machines. Only recently has he had time to look into himself and to see what was going on in himself. Since psychology is a relatively young science, it would be arrogant to assume that our present knowledge is so complete that no further development is possible. In my experience as a practicing psychiatrist stretching over twenty-five years I came to look at psychology as a house to which new rooms, windows, doors and passageways have been added gradually.

During the development of psychodrama-techniques various forms of expression, such as psycho-music and psycho-dance were used to great advantage; even hypnosis was occasionally combined with psychodrama. When encouraged by Moreno to apply psychodramatic methods in working with a group of students, I found autogenic relaxation a valuable adjuvant to psychodrama.